Initial Thoughts on an Xbox One Headset

Before I really get into this post, I want to leave a small disclaimer. I am not someone who is super picky when it comes to sound, and this is my first Xbox One headset, and gaming headset in general.

Ok, now that I’ve got that out of the way, let me say: I love these things! I’ve only been using them for a couple of days, so this is just my initial reaction; but I’m extremely happy I bought these.

I do the majority of my gaming on my Xbox One but I do occasionally play my 360. I needed a pair that would work with both. I also definitely wanted surround sound headsets, not stereo. I figured if I was going to play with headsets, I wanted the full immersive experience, not just what’s going on to the right or left.

I happened to go to the Turtle Beach home page, and one of the main banners said something along the lines of “Want surround sound on you Xbox One now? get Ear Force x42″.

I started doing research on the x42’s to see what type of experience other people had with them on the One. I didn’t find a lot of information, other than people commenting on a few different forums; but I did find enough information for me to be confident in buying them.

I went on Ebay, to be frugal, and I found a complete set for only $60. A few days later they were at my door, and I was able to see (or hear i guess) the difference for myself.

I didn’t expect how big of a difference there is. So far, I’ve only used them while playing Ghosts, but you can seriously hear everything around you, and pinpoint where the sounds are coming from.

If an opponent is trying to flank you, you can hear them coming and make sure you get the jump on them before they get to you.

I’m a pretty average player. I don’t always have positive games, but I’ve had the best series of games I’ve ever had since getting the headphones, and using them is the only thing that’s changed. I don’t want to directly attribute the fact that I was playing a lot better to the headphones, but I don’t know what else it could be.

It does take some getting used to though; and I’m still in that process. You have to pay attention to your minimap constantly because you can hear your teammates footsteps too, and you need to be able to tell if the person you hear is friend or foe. Also, helicopters are very loud. When they’re out, they’re pretty much all you’ll be able to hear.

As I said earlier this is just a first impression post (and so far, I’m very impressed). As I use them for more games, and more than just games, I’ll update this to let you guys know what I really think about them.

Let us know in the comments what you think about Turtle Beach Ear Forces, or gaming headsets in general; or if you just want to say hey.